The Strongest Woman
by TinyFi311
Summary: We all admire people for different reasons. Especially those who build from the rubble when their world comes crashing down. Brittana.
1. Chapter 1 Brittany

**The Strongest Woman**

**Chapter 1- Brittany**

Nobody knew the truth about Brittany.

Nobody except Santana.

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><p>Nobody ever tells you how hard it is to raise two children completely alone. Even with money coming in from child support, there is never enough to do more than scrape by. There is never enough time to do more than the bare minimum before you're too tired to move another inch. For a single parent, life is doubly as hard.<p>

The day he left me to be with _her_, I was cradling a week-old baby in my arms. Brittany was six. She adored her father, and watching her tiny face contort when I told her he wasn't coming back was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. More than knowing I was completely alone, it pained me to have to see my once-bright little girl so low, so quiet.

She would play with dolls a lot. Making happy families and day-dreaming about what it would be like to live in one again. Oh, and animals. She loved all kinds of animals. I spoke to a doctor after he left; about what could be done to ease the pain for my children. She suggested a pet. That afternoon, the girls and I piled into the car and went to choose two kittens- one each in theory, but Brittany was determined they were hers. When she announced their names, I laughed. For the first time in a long time, I laughed wholeheartedly. Who knew my six year old had the imagination to come up with 'Lord Tubbington the third and Charity, mommy'.

* * *

><p>Britt did okay in school. Elementary school brought out the best in her; she started dancing and surprised everyone when she advanced quickly through the classes. The teachers loved her vivid imagination and the way she could raise a smile. As I did, they too worried about her daydreaming but assured me that it would pass when things settled down at home. I was doing my best to make sure my daughters had everything they needed, but I wasn't sure what they meant by that.<p>

Elementary school was when Brittany made her first real friend. Santana Lopez was, surprisingly, a slightly chubby, frizzy little girl when she walked into our lives. She was sweet as could be to Brittany, but there was no mistaking the look of mischief in her eyes.

When Brittany asked if Santana could come over to play, I froze. The girl was the child of a doctor and a lawyer, she lived in a huge house overlooking Lima Heights. Overlooking our home on 'the wrong side of the tracks.' I was struggling to make ends meet; our house was small. Ashley didn't have a bedroom yet, just a crib next to my bed. Brittany's room was small, but she managed okay as long as she didn't dance around too much.

Santana didn't mind, though. She was polite, friendly. I don't think Brittany understood enough about our lives to explain to her new best friend why we lived where we did, scraping by. She had never really known any different so maybe she didn't know that normally people got more to eat than we did each night, that normal people didn't buy their clothes from thrift stores on the edges of the town. Either way, Santana became a regular visitor to our little house.

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><p>I saw the way she looked at my daughter. And I saw the way my daughter would look at her. There was no way to explain away that emotion, that sense of adoration. Some parents would have been upset or ashamed to discover that their daughter was interested in girls like mine was. But I was happy for her; I knew Santana would never hurt her the way I was hurt. She would never leave her alone holding the baby.<p>

* * *

><p>Brittany tells me everything. For a long time, we were all the other had. So we learned to talk about what we were feeling and what was going on in our lives. She explained that Santana had realised what she felt for her, for girls, and that she had declared her love to my daughter in the middle of school. Britt had been dating a boy from the glee club. I didn't know much about him, really. He came over once but I was at work.<p>

I had been upset about that. I didn't like the idea of people knowing that we were poor. But she said he had been fine with our house. When I asked her what she had said to Santana, I could see the hurt in her eyes. 'I told her I couldn't be with her if I was with Artie' she said, hanging her head. 'But, mommy, I don't know what to do next. I love Artie but I don't think I'll ever love anybody the way I love her.'

It was scary to see my baby girl so mature about things like this. It upset me to know that she was hurting, that she was confused. She didn't think in the way most people did, which was refreshing when your life is as mundane as it can get, but it was hard for her to make sense of the world in the way other people did. Above everything, though, I was happy. Happy that my broken life hadn't left my daughter unable to love.

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><p>Ashley and I were curled up on the couch when they burst through the door, hand in hand. 'Mom,' Brittany said, taking my attention away from the screen, 'we wanted to tell you that San and I are officially together.' I pulled both of them into a hug and reassured them that I loved them both.<p>

Santana reassured _me_ that she would do everything to protect Brittany. It wasn't much of a promise, she'd been doing that for ten years. The girl had been through so much; coming out, living with parents who were never around for her, facing a world without her beloved grandmother. I admired her for everything she did to make Brittany happy.

My daughter was now growing into a strong, independent and happy young woman. She had grown up living in a world that didn't really suit her. Her thinking was abstract, and she wasn't traditionally seen as intelligent. But Santana and I both knew exactly how special she was. She never let the bullying get to her; never believed she was anything less than magical. And I loved her for it. I still do. Despite everything, despite having to help around the house from being small, despite stepping in and helping me raise a child, she had turned out to be a wonderful person.

One day, she will make the most amazing mother. Santana, I know, will be by her side. I used to be scared that my girls wouldn't understand how to succeed in a relationship; I hadn't exactly shown them well. The few boyfriends I did have after their father left were never anything serious. But there was something about Santana and Brittany _together_ that assured me that they would never leave each other.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey Guys. I'll be adding the final part of this in the very near future. I'm not as comfortable writing Brittana as I am writing HeYa, but had to exercise my brain before Brittana week! Hopefully I'll be posting more regularly soon. Thanks for taking the time to read- please review. **

**Chapter 2**

Everybody has secrets but some people have more than others.

For a long time, I was her secret.

There was never a time when I didn't want to be with her. Since a very young age, we had been joined at the hip almost literally. She was my best friends and I didn't need a pinky promise or anything else to reassure me that she would be my best friend forever.

When we started to become something _more_ I didn't feel scared. I trusted her with my life; I always had and I always, always will. She thought she had convinced me that it was okay to do what we were doing; that the plumbing was different and that made it okay to 'cheat'. I know she was only saying those things to reassure herself, to bury what she was really thinking and feelings, but I let her believe I was taking it all in.

I made a mistake with Artie. He treated me like a princess and we did have fun but I knew almost as soon as it began that my heart wasn't really in it. It sounds awful saying it now, but in a way I thought that staying with him might help her come to terms with her feeling as well.

It wasn't long before the cracks started to show. Her barriers were coming down too quickly for her to control the consequences or to really understand what was going on. I had to be there for her, but it hurt to know there was only so much I could do before she was on her own.

The day she was outed was the worst day of her life. The slap rang out, filling the otherwise silent auditorium. And then she ran, as fast as she could in her Troubletones heels. The text I got from her didn't even make sense, but I knew where to find her. It had been our place since we arrived at high school. She was slumped against the cubicle wall, hands wrapped around tiny arms. Her face was paler than its normal caramel, lines of tears visible on her cheeks. I took her in my arms and held her. There wasn't much else I could do, but I had to reassure her that I would always be there.

And I was there. The day she came out to her parents, I was sat with my phone in my hand waiting for her call. My mom tried to calm me down by getting me to talk but I was too nervous for her. I couldn't really imagine having to go through anything like that; my mom is my best friend after San and we've always talked about everything. We're not really religious or anything like Santana's parents, which is what makes it worse.

She was so brave that day. I have never been more proud of anyone. When she finally called me, she just sounded so _relieved._ I can still remember the feeling of all the worry just washing away: '_They said they're happy for us, Britt. I didn't think it was going to be this easy. I feel so happy!_'

And then she lost her Abuela. And everything crumbled around her. The most wonderful and beautiful girl in the world, the one person who completed me, was breaking. There was nothing I could do but hold her and let her cry. I wanted so badly to fight for her, to explain what this meant to us, to show her abuela exactly how much this was hurting her, but I knew it was a bad idea. My years of experience with the Lopez women has taught me that fighting back isn't usually a good idea.

Santana overcame everything. The talks and the looks that had plagued her dreams and turned them into nightmares didn't last very long. I was kind of used to it; people have always seemed to like talking about me behind my back. I don't think they realise that, not only can I hear them, but that I understand what they're saying. I know I'm not exactly normal, but my mom and my _girlfriend_ have taught me that it's a blessing to think outside of the box.

San has taught me a lot of things. She is so caring, which completely goes against what everyone else thinks, and she will always put me before herself. She's the strong one most of the time; she protects everyone around her and cares a lot about justice. She used to take things personally, but now it's more about human rights and stuff. She hasn't mentioned anything about college yet, but I know that one day she is going to be the best lawyer in the world.

It's beautiful to see someone so used to fighting the world back down and let things wash over her. I guess that's what I taught her; to just go with the ways of the world and find your place without putting up a resistance. We make a good pair, me and my girl. She is amazing and I know I will feel this way about her forever. I love her.


	3. Chapter 3 Julie

**Chapter 3**

The first time I visited the Pierce's house I was really small. I don't really remember it well, but I remember feeling safe there. My house has always felt a little _empty. _My parents aren't really there a whole lot because they work ridiculously hard, which leaves me all alone. There was never a chance in hell of having a brother or sister; I remember asking my parents for one for Christmas one year and the look on my mother's face was priceless. In all honesty, I think I've always known that I wasn't exactly _planned._ My parents aren't really kid-people. They like parties, formal dinners and expensive clothes, not exactly baby-friendly stuff.

I think that's what I liked about Britt's house. Her mom is definitely a kid person. She likes to have fun, to make us laugh and her stories are the best. You can tell just from looking at her that she loves her girls more than anything else in the world, and it's beautiful to see. I suppose the nicest thing is that she counts me as one of her girls; so I have two families.

She used to try and include me in everything. Even though I was only small and I never spoke about my home life in great detail, I think she knew that I didn't get a whole lot of attention from my mom. She would do my hair before school and hand me my lunch as if I was one of her own daughters. She would let me sleep over on school nights when I had had enough of my abuela's TV shows or when I didn't want to speak Spanish. She was so understanding.

I didn't realise how strong a woman she was until I was a bit older. I knew that Britt's dad lived out of the state, but I didn't realise what that meant until my mom mentioned it in conversation. Julie Pierce was raising two wonderful, wholesome girls, working two jobs and running a household on very little money. I didn't want to say anything to my mom or to my abuela, but I was impressed. Between the three of them, my parents and my grandmother, they just about managed to raise me. There was always enough money and mom had a cleaner come to the house three times a week to keep on top of the mess that was never really there. But Britt's mom did it all on her own. It was incredible.

When I came stumbling out of the closet, she was there for me. She had always been there for both of us; she had stood at a distance and let _us_ happen. She didn't judge, she didn't mention anything until we were ready, she just loved us unconditionally and let us figure things out for ourselves.

If there is anyone else in the world who understands why I love Brittany S. Pierce the way I do, it's her mom. We both admire her. Britt is unique. Some people say she's stupid or that she's, even worse, retarded, but we know the truth. She's just special…. In so many ways. She is perfect to me.

I know I'm young and that it's silly to be thinking about things at my age, but I know we're going to get married one day. She's going to walk down the aisle towards me as I fight back tears of pride and happiness. Her mom will give her away, not her dad, because it would mean more. Once we've said our vows, we're _family. _Ashley will be my real sister and Julie will be my mother in law. It just seems right that the people I've surrounded myself with since I was a kid will be legal family.

When we have kids, which probably won't be long after we get married if Brittany has anything to do with it, they are going to love their grandmother just as I do. I'm taking a leaf out of her book when it comes to parenting. My children will always know that they are loved, it's the most important thing. Even when the odds are against us, which they probably will be some of the time, I will make sure that they get a hot meal, a bedtime story and a reminder of how much I love them.

_Julie Pierce held the tiny human being in her arms, watching the sleeping girls' chest rise and fall as she took some of her very first breaths. The lock of blonde hair on top of her head glowed in the sunlight coming through the curtains of the newly-painted nursery. As she opened her little eyes, they met hers. Without saying a word, she told the little girl everything she would need to know; that she was loved, that she would always be loved. _

_Santana and Brittany stood in the doorway, hand in hand. Although tired beyond anything she had felt before, Santana smiled at the sight before her. Leaning into her wife, she whispered 'everything is going to be okay. I know it.'_


End file.
